Video game trailer production covers the full workflow of turning a game into a short, marketable video: pre-production and script, storyboard, in-engine or pre-rendered capture, audio design, editing, and platform-specific delivery. A typical release schedule uses several trailer types across a launch cycle, including announce, gameplay, launch, cinematic, feature, and short social cutdowns tuned per platform.
Trailer types used across a game launch cycle
Most studios ship a family of trailers over the launch window, not a single video. An announce trailer opens the campaign and often leans cinematic to hide unfinished gameplay. A gameplay trailer follows and shows real captured footage from a playable build. A launch trailer summarises the identity of the game around release date. Cinematic trailers highlight story or lore. Feature trailers isolate one system such as combat, base building, or a specific class. Social cutdowns compress the strongest 6 to 15 seconds for TikTok, Reels, YouTube Shorts, and paid ad networks. Video game trailer production planning defines this set of assets at the start, not one at a time.
Trailer type comparison
| Trailer type | Length | Cost tier (indie/mid) | Primary source | Main use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announce | 45-90s | €15,000-€40,000 | Cinematic / concept art | First public reveal |
| Gameplay | 60-120s | €8,000-€25,000 | In-engine capture | Prove the game plays |
| Launch | 60-90s | €12,000-€30,000 | Best-of gameplay + cinematic | Release day push |
| Cinematic | 60-150s | €30,000-€120,000 | Pre-rendered or virtual production | Story, lore, hero moment |
| Feature | 30-60s | €5,000-€15,000 | In-engine capture | Highlight one system |
| Social cutdown | 6-30s | €1,000-€4,000 per set | Recut from master | TikTok, Reels, ads |
Cost bands assume an indie or mid-core scope. Cinematic pieces produced with virtual production or heavy VFX sit at the top of the range and are usually reserved for the announce or hero beat.
Pre-production and script
Video game trailer production starts before any frame is captured. Pre-production defines audience, platform mix, message, and the 3 to 5 hero beats that must appear on screen. The script is short: a 60-second trailer is roughly 120 to 150 spoken words if a voiceover is used, and often none at all for gameplay-first cuts. The plan also fixes runtime targets per platform, since a Steam page trailer, a YouTube master, and a TikTok cutdown are built from the same footage but not exported the same way.
Reference pulls and a mood board are locked in this phase so the editor and the audio team share the same target. Timeline in this phase is usually 1 to 2 weeks for a single trailer, longer when several trailers ship from one shoot plan.
Storyboard and shot list
The storyboard turns the script into a shot list. Each shot is tagged with camera behaviour, subject, duration, and audio hook. For gameplay trailers the shot list also flags what needs to be captured live in the build versus what can be composited or animated in After Effects. A tight shot list keeps in-engine capture sessions short and predictable, which matters because capture time on complex scenes can hit 8 to 12 hours per shot day.
In-engine capture with Sequencer and Cinemachine
Most gameplay and cinematic trailers today are captured in-engine. In Unreal Engine, Sequencer drives cameras, actor animation, cinematic cuts, and Movie Render Queue exports frames at production quality including ray tracing and higher sample counts than the runtime. Unity uses Cinemachine for virtual cameras and Timeline plus the Recorder package for frame exports, commonly to image sequences or ProRes.
Two capture strategies are used. "Live capture" records real gameplay at runtime, which is cheaper and reads as authentic but limits camera control. "Sequencer capture" reruns scripted scenes with cinematic cameras and higher-quality settings, which costs more shot time but produces the polish audiences expect from a launch trailer.
- Unreal Engine 5.x with Sequencer and Movie Render Queue for hero shots.
- Unity with Cinemachine, Timeline, and Recorder for gameplay-first cuts.
- Image sequences (EXR or PNG) exported at 2x the final resolution when possible.
- Separate passes for beauty, depth, and object IDs when heavy compositing is planned.
- Frame rate captured at 60 fps to allow slow-motion in the edit.
Audio design, music, and voiceover
Audio carries a trailer more than most teams admit. A trailer edit is usually cut to the music, not the other way around. Custom scores are commissioned for announce and launch pieces. Licensed tracks are common for feature trailers and social cutdowns where budget is tighter. Sound design layers in impacts, whooshes, UI hits, and diegetic gameplay sounds so the cut reads as real footage even when the master mix is stylised.
Voiceover is optional. Many gameplay trailers work without one. When used, it is recorded in a booth against picture, then mixed with music and sound design in a final pass, typically at -14 LUFS integrated for YouTube and TikTok delivery and -16 LUFS for platform storefront videos.
Editing, colour, and finishing
Editing is done in Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. Resolve is often chosen when heavy colour work is planned, since grading and edit live in the same tool. After Effects handles motion graphics, logo builds, lower thirds, key art integration, and text animations. The finishing pass locks colour, adds captions, checks legal supers such as platform logos and ratings placeholders, and prepares platform-specific masters.
Delivery specs per platform
Every platform has its own container, codec, and aspect requirements. A single master rarely fits all. Video game trailer production plans include a delivery matrix so exports are consistent and re-editable.
- YouTube master: 1920x1080 or 3840x2160, H.264 MP4, 24 or 30 fps for cinematic, 60 fps when gameplay is fast.
- Steam trailer: H.264 MP4, up to 3840x2160, per Steamworks partner documentation.
- Apple App Store Preview: 15-30 seconds, 1080x1920 portrait or 1920x1080 landscape, up to 3 previews per locale, per Apple developer documentation.
- Google Play promo video: hosted on YouTube, 30 seconds to 2 minutes, 16:9 recommended.
- TikTok, Reels, Shorts: 9:16, 1080x1920, 9 to 60 seconds for standard feed.
- Broadcast or partner masters: ProRes 422 HQ or ProRes 4444 when a distributor requires it.
ASO video for App Store and Google Play
App Store Preview and Google Play promo videos have different rules from a YouTube trailer. Apple auto-plays the preview muted on the store page, so the opening 3 seconds must read without sound. Text overlays and legal supers should stay inside the safe area, since the play button and store chrome sit on top of the frame. Google Play videos are hosted on YouTube and pulled into the store listing, so a landscape master works there but should still open strongly in the first 5 seconds. A trailer built for ASO is not the same edit as the YouTube master, even when it uses the same footage.
Cost and timeline for video game trailer production
Cost and timeline depend on trailer type, source of footage, and how much cinematic work is needed. For an indie or mid-core studio, a gameplay trailer built from an existing playable build usually runs 4 to 6 weeks end to end at €8,000 to €25,000. A cinematic announce trailer with custom animation and a custom score is 8 to 14 weeks at €30,000 to €120,000. A set of 4 to 6 social cutdowns recut from a master is typically 1 to 2 weeks at €1,000 to €4,000 per set.
When to talk to Game-Ace about video game trailer production
Game-Ace, a custom game development studio with in-house artists, animators, and Unity and Unreal engineers, produces trailer-ready assets and in-engine cinematic capture as part of full-cycle game development and co-development. In-house since 2005 with 120+ specialists and 200+ delivered games, the team can build the source footage, capture in Sequencer or Cinemachine, and hand off masters and platform cuts ready for App Store, Steam, YouTube, and TikTok delivery. For the art side of production, see game art and design services and the blog on game art outsourcing; for overall budget context, see how much it costs to make a video game.
If you are scoping video game trailer production for a launch window, or a set of social cutdowns for a live title, talk to Game-Ace.
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